The project centers on a 35-mile diversion channel that’s up to a half-mile wide, which runs west of Fargo and connects to the Red River a few miles north and south of the city. Along its route, the channel will also cross five rivers: the Wild Rice, the Sheyenne, the Maple, the Rush and the Lower Rush.

A water storage area south of Fargo is proposed to temporarily hold up to 200,000 acre-feet of water during times of severe flooding. The water storage was designed to mitigate downstream impacts from the project.

About the author

Kristen Daum covers local and federal government and political news for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. She joined The Forum staff in August 2009, after graduating from Michigan State University with bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science/pre-law.